Brownie confections printer-friendly version

More interesting than the usual chocolate-frosted brownies, this recipe has a sublime combination of chocolate & vanilla flavors. This may be due to large amounts of butter and sugar. I don't know. You be the judge.

Make a pan of good brownies, optionally reducing the sugar somewhat. Use butter in the recipe. (We like the recipe in The Joy of Cooking.) Let the brownies cool.

Make a frosting with a stick of butter (not margarine!!!), a couple of cups of confectioner’s sugar, and a bit of vanilla. Spread on top; chill.

Melt unsweetened chocolate with a tablespoon or two of butter, and pour on top. Tilt pan from side to side to cover all the frosting. Refrigerate. Cut into bars with hot knife, cleaning knife periodically with wet paper towel.

Variation 1: Instead of vanilla, put almond extract in the frosting layer. Lightly toast a cup or so of sliced almonds & sprinkle over chocolate before it sets up.

Variation 2: Instead of vanilla, put peppermint flavoring & a tiny bit of green food coloring in the frosting layer.